building

The interconnections of blogs. I was just surfing a little and found

Josh and Jordan

are both talking about audience (as well as Silliman). Josh and Jordan are both very articulate. Their responses full of passion. I especially found Josh's argument for friends and lovers convincing. And Elvis. Yes, I don't want to be Elvis.



The transference of energy (Olsonian) interests me in this blog sphere.



Poetry builds. The 20th century avant garde built some crazy shit.



I do like the word innovative poetry over avant-garde or post-avant.



Now poetry writing out of the avant garde traditions no longer needs to define itself against the institution(s) of poetry.

(as Mark Wallace and others have pointed out)



The audience for innovative/avant poetry is quite close to the audience for mainstream. So, neither need rely on defining their respective in terms of what it is not.



Or, to think it through on personal terms. Teaching Poems for the Millenium for my intro to poetry class does not require previous reading of say the Norton anthology of poetry.